Battlefield 3: EA risk backlash with core fanbase admission for DLC

Earlier this week we informed you about the apparent outrage that is going on amongst some gamers who feel that EA’s Battlefield 3 Limited Edition is unfair for those who want to pick up the standard edition of the game.

Now, EA has responded to the claims, but we’ll get to that in a moment. To bring you up to speed, some gamers are angry that the Limited Edition contains several ‘exclusive’ weapons and equipment which players have access to from the start of the game. As you can probably guess, this content won’t be available in the standard edition straight away, instead you’ll either have to unlock it or wait until it releases as standard DLC.

It appears that EA has been following the complaints closely, and they have issued a statement on their official BF3 blog:

”The three exclusive items in the Physical Warfare Pack were specifically chosen not to be overpowered or imbalance or break the game in any way. Owning these items will give you a more varied arsenal, but it will not give you a significant advantage on the battlefield.”

However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of their statement that will be taken into account with angry Battlefield gamers is the following quote, which talks about EA’s relationship with their ‘core’ fanbase:

When asked why they are offering pre-order items in the first place, EA responded:

”Because we believe in rewarding our core fanbase with special offers — such as giving them the Back to Karkand expansion pack at no extra charge.”

That is fine and totally logical, but some gamers may interpret that as thinking, ‘so if i don’t buy the limited edition, does that mean I’m not a hardcore fan?’ There’s probably a lot of Battlefield fans who bought extras for Bad Company 2 who are a little frustrated about the above comment, EA could have worded it a little better perhaps.

What are your thoughts on EA’s reaction to the DLC fallout? Do you believe EA are doing the right thing or not?